On Jan. 24, the Chatelech/Elphinstone Junior Girls basketball team travelled to Burnaby Central Secondary School to play in an eight-team tournament. They started off with a bang, riding great team defence and some nice passing to beat the Byrne Creek Bulldogs 28-21.
The next morning, the team continued to dial in their defence in a semi-final game against the Earl Marriott Mariners. The Coast team won 21-17 in a tight game that had fans and family members on the edge of their seats.
Saturday afternoon it was on to the finals against the McMath Wildcats, who had been on a roll all weekend, using an aggressive full court press to generate steals and easy baskets. After a hard-fought first half, the girls were down but showed a lot of heart and played incredible defence to win the second half, holding the Wildcats to just five points in the third and fourth quarters.
In the end, it wasn’t quite enough to get the win, but it was enough to take home second place in the tournament. The Chatelech/Elphinstone girls left the gym with their heads held high, happy with their effort and team play, and knowing that they had competed well against some tough teams from much bigger schools.
On Monday afternoon, the Chatelech/Elphinstone girls hosted the Howe Sound Sounders in their only home game of the regular season. After a moment of silence to commemorate the passing of Kobe Bryant, one of basketball’s all-time greats, the Coast girls took the court and continued right where they had left off at the tournament. Cheered on by friends and family, and playing suffocating defence throughout the game, the team won 23-7 against the hard-working Sounders.
At halftime of their Monday game, the team was pleased to present Denise Woodley, Director of the Together Against Violence (TAV) Program, with a cheque for $1,580, which the team raised during their recent fundraising event. The donation will go to support programs for women on the Coast, including our local women’s shelter, women’s counselling services, and victim support services.
Looking ahead, the Chatelech/Elphinstone team has games against the Sutherland Sabres on Wednesday and the Bodwell Bruins on Friday, with playoffs to start next week.
– Submitted by Daren and Meaghan Spithoff
